The objective of this paper is to examine how economists have
perceived the contributions of agriculture to the economic development
process and then to present the case for the critical role that
research, extension, and information can play in agricultural
productivity growth and thus in economic development, particularly in
low income countries. After a brief presentation of the framework
commonly used to examine productivity growth, a distinction is made
between technological change and technical efficiency. This distinction
is crucial for policy purposes because the major impetus behind
technological change are research and development, while education and
experience are critical to improving managerial capabilities to make
efficient use of a given technology. Empirical findings concerning the
returns on agricultural research, with special attention to studies that
have focused on Pakistan, are discussed. The paper then offers an
overview of alternative methodologies available to measure technical
efficiency, summarises the empirical literature, and finally focuses on
studies dealing with Pakistani agriculture. Once it is established that
improvements in technical efficiency could contribute significantly to
increases in farm output and income, the discussion moves to some issues
that have implications for the measurement and potential improvement of
farm efficiency. An overview of a model of privatised extension
services, currently being applied in some Latin American countries and
which could have some relevance to conditions in Pakistan and elsewhere,
is provided. The paper ends with the contention that significant
improvements are needed in the collection and organisation of farm
production data if we are to advance our understanding of the drivers of
productivity growth at the farm level.
Research, Extension, and Information: Key Inputs in Agricultural
Productivity Growth (Distinguished Lecture)